Nebraska’s Big Winners from October Tournament Play

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who doesn't love the "tournament before the tournament?"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before we get into district play and the big dance in Lincoln, we're treated to an annual gauntlet of conference tournaments and other end-of-season invites. These events give valuable insight into which teams are surging when it counts, and we have a few of those squads to feature today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's an overview of which groups took full advantage of conference tournament play before district chaos ensues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Papillion-La Vista South</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Metro Conference Tournament title for the Titans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Papio South has to be a big winner in this feature, and it's not just about the team's championship triumph. Rather, it's the way the Titans climbed the ladder: by not dropping a single set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A's defending champs swept past Benson, Papio, Omaha Marian, and Millard South to secure the Metro crown. Star middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='807803' first='Lyric' last='Judson'] remained dominant by posting double-digit kill performances in the semifinals and finals. Papio South flexed its all-around strength in the middle with [player_tooltip player_id='349416' first='Maddie' last='Larsen'] posting a 0.625 hitting clip against Marian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans remain a Class A title frontrunner, but you already knew that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lincoln North Star</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a new top dog in the Heartland Athletic Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln North Star broke through for its first-ever HAC title, punctuating one of the school's best-ever regular-season runs. The Navigators finished the job with a four-set win over Lincoln Southwest in which [player_tooltip player_id='458167' first='Delainey' last='Volkmer'], [player_tooltip player_id='521266' first='Lauren' last='McKernan'], and [player_tooltip player_id='807924' first='Elsie' last='Schmidt'] tallied double-digit kills. This yielded a 40-assist performance from [player_tooltip player_id='458146' first='Alex' last='Kroll'], who has distinguished herself as one of the state's top setters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Navigators are your No. 1 district seed in Class A. What an accomplishment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":896984,"width":"385px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/IMG_4107-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-896984" style="width:385px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">McKernan (7)</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Columbus Lakeview</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Central Conference consistently provides us with a fascinating mix of Class B and C1 teams to follow. This outing was all about the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Granted, this late-season event didn't start the way Columbus Lakeview had hoped. The Vikings dropped the event's opening contest against York, setting up a difficult road forward. These title contenders responded by sweeping past Lexington, Aurora, and Adams Central to set up a reprise with the Dukes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colubmus Lakeview got its revenge with a two-set win over York. A string of late-season wins has secured the Vikings the No. 6 overall seed heading into Class B sub-district action. [player_tooltip player_id='298712' first='Katie' last='Rowe'], Adalyn Eberhart, and [player_tooltip player_id='773366' first='Calli' last='Helms'] have formed an unstoppable triad with very comparable numbers atop the Lakeview ledger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lincoln Lutheran</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's about that time for Lincoln Lutheran to find another gear. We'd expect nothing less from the four-time defending state champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sure, there are some obstacles to the five-peat. The Warriors lost some transformative athletes from last year's team, and the school has also stepped up to Class C1 for the 2025 campaign. The momentum still hasn't slowed, particularly after Lincoln Lutheran's clean sweep through the Centennial Conference Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":896983,"width":"387px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/IMG_9621-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-896983" style="width:387px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sjuts competes with Lincoln Lutheran at the NSAA State Volleyball Tournament. The former middle blocker is now thriving as the Warriors' starting setter.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Veteran leaders like [player_tooltip player_id='349457' first='Bella' last='Sjuts'], [player_tooltip player_id='808241' first='Lily' last='Wohlgemuth'], and [player_tooltip player_id='349486' first='Lauren' last='Kuhlmann'] helped the Warriors take down five tough opponents en route to the conference championship. Wohlgemuth was especially lethal in the meeting with Wahoo, putting down five kills per set at a 0.412 average.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Oakland-Craig</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's another familiar name seeking another postseason run for the history books.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oakland-Craig is on an absolute heater, winning all of its contests since the calendar turned to October. The 2021 state champs extended the winning streak by defeating Wisner-Pilger, Clarkson/Leigh, and Howells-Dodge in a meeting of East Husker Conference foes. The Knights then scored another 3-1 win over Clarkson/Leigh for good measure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='830464' first='Briar' last='Ray'] has soared to head-spinning heights with 6.2 kills per set to lead O-C. Her leadership will be paramount heading into single-elimination play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Amherst</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pony up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class D1 has been a wild ride this year, and Amherst added to the intrigue by winning the Fort Kearny Conference Tournament over Elm Creek, Ansley/Litchfield, and Overton. The Broncos have no shortage of postseason experience from which to glean, but that season-capping victory against Overton made an exceptional statement. Underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='498982' first='Libby' last='Mitchell'] and Addy Simmons have ushered in a new era as Amherst's leading attackers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, the Broncos have a No. 1 wildcard spot to show for it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->